This needs to be more strongly worded. As in "Don't buy a 2013 Leaf built before April of 2013, unless it already qualifies, or is about to qualify, for a new battery pack." The early builds just lose capacity too fast, especially in warmer climates. It should also be understood that ALL Leafs built before 4/13 have the inferior battery chemistry. The 2011-2012 Leafs have only Japanese build quality to argue for them.

2013 "Brilliant Silver" SV with Premium and no QC, a 2009 Vectrix VX-1 W/18 Leaf modules, and 3 EZIP E-bicycles.PLEASE don't PM me with Leaf questions. Just post in the topic that seems most appropriate.

Lots of people drive 2011/2012 Leafs and choose to do so knowing the battery pack is inferior, there's no point in being prescriptive.

So, despite the fact that you and I would only buy a post April 2013, that doesn't mean no one else should buy an older model. They just need to be informed when choosing to do so and adjust their range expectations accordingly. 2011/2012 models in particular represent a different price point and therefore a different buyer.

alozzy wrote:Lots of people drive 2011/2012 Leafs and choose to do so knowing the battery pack is inferior, there's no point in being prescriptive.

So, despite the fact that you and I would only buy a post April 2013, that doesn't mean no one else should buy an older model. They just need to be informed when choosing to do so and adjust their range expectations accordingly. 2011/2012 models in particular represent a different price point and therefore a different buyer.

I didn't suggest that no one buy a Japan-built Leaf. I was suggesting that no one should buy an early '13 Leaf unless it will get a free pack. I also said that the 2011-2012 Leafs have to have the inferior pack weighed against the superior build quality. That isn't a blanket dismissal of the Japan-built Leafs.

2013 "Brilliant Silver" SV with Premium and no QC, a 2009 Vectrix VX-1 W/18 Leaf modules, and 3 EZIP E-bicycles.PLEASE don't PM me with Leaf questions. Just post in the topic that seems most appropriate.

Well, the '14 was sold by the time I checked on it.Found a '13 SL with 26,220 miles for $7995. The photos show full bars, but I located my ELM227 BT interface and will be taking it with me tomorrow for the test drive. The Carfax report shows manufactured on 12/03/2013 and sold on 1/4/2014, so hopefully it's a late model. I'll check the doorjam when I get there.